Ionospheric Observations by FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC Satellites
Abstract
Six identical micro-satellites of the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (FS-3/C) mission form a constellation to measure vertical profiles in near-real time of electron density in the ionosphere for space weather monitoring and modeling. The FS-3/C mission provides radio occultation (RO) soundings of 2500 electronic density profiles per day, and we can monitor the three-dimensional ionospheric structures and associated dynamics. We have studied the ionospheric seasonal variations and atmosphere-ionosphere coupling by understanding the competing processes between the equatorial plasma fountain and the trans-equatorial neutral wind effects by inspecting the diurnal variations of the equatorial anomaly crests in meridional sectors. We have also observed the recently discovered longitudinal structure of the equatorial ionosphere at various altitudes. The diurnal three-dimensional observation of the four-peaked structure provides important evidence to support the hypothesis that the structure is produced by enhanced equatorial plasma fountain modulated by the diurnal eastward wave-number 3 (DE3) non-migrating tide. Moreover, the total electron content (TEC) integrated from the RO sounding electron density profiles over the oceans, where limited number of ground-based GPS receivers exist, are combined with the ground-based GPS TEC over the continents to construct the global TEC map for studying the global ionospheric TEC variation during different solar activities.
- Publication:
-
37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008cosp...37..515C